Abolitionist’s Individual Experience With Slavery

When thinking of the causes and matters of slavery, evangelization, tyrannical, and dominance, should be taken into consideration. Spanish Colonist, Bartolomé De Las Casas, witnessed evangelization, tyrannical, and dominance first-hand when he traveled alongside the Europeans to many locations, such as the Land of the Indians, for the purpose of evangelization. After De Las Casas realized that the Europeans were not exercising a peaceful evangelization but tyrannical instead, he changed his views on the trade slave and became an advocate for antislavery against the Indians. In addition to De Las Casas experience, De Crevecoeur looking to escape the evil practices of British’s societies, moved to New York and later visited Charles-Town, where he discovered the evil establishment of slavery and stated the Europeans greed as the reason. Unlike De Las Casas and De Crevecoeur, who only witnessed slavery take place from an unconfined standpoint, African American authors Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass, had endured first-hand the tyrannical acts of slavery from the hands of Europeans slave owners. Both Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass debated claims made by the Europeans that Africans were inferior and unequal. Sojourner debated these claims in her speech “Ain’t I A women” from a woman’s point of view saying women were equal to men and Frederick debated the claims made by the Europeans that Africans Americans were not equal or of humanity. Even though De Las Casas, De Crevecoeur, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass, had individually experienced the evil, unrighteous, and unjust acts of slavery from the hands of Europeans, they all seek out for the abolishment of slavery by writing, speaking and becoming advocates against it.

Spanish Colonist De Las Casas journey begun as a soldier traveling alongside the Europeans to different lands, one being the Land of the Indians, in attempt to spread a peaceful evangelizations, according to the article, A Comparison of the Voices of the Spanish Bartolomé de Las Casas and the Portuguese Fernando Oliveira on Just War and Slavery”, “Las Casas spent a lifetime advocating for peaceful and persuasive evangelization that wins the mind with reasons, and the will with gentleness, with invitation” (Thomas p.12). Summitting to Laws and living in the age of acceptance, he at first accepted the transatlantic slave trade and religious expansions but later in his journey realized that the Europeans (Christians) was not excising a peaceful evangelization or evangelization at all, but instead tyrannical to gain dominance over the Indians and their land. In his document, “From An Account, Much Abbreviated, of the Destruction of the Indies”, he described the evil and unjust acts of the Europeans, stating, “They would enter into the villages and spare not children, or old people, or pregnant women .......but would open the women’s belly and hack the babe to pieces” (Casas p.68). Seeing that the Indians had been nothing more than welcoming to the Europeans (before they started invading and terrorizing their land for gold and power), he change his views and seen that it was not the Indians performing any unrighteousness, but the Christians and became an advocated by denouncing the unjust acts of slavery against Indians and religious expansions. Putting in place Property laws and the encomienda system to protect the Indians from slavery, Des Las Casa became known as the “Protector of all the Indians” (Thomas p. 14). In addition to De Las Casas experiences, De Crevecoeur also witnessed the Europeans greed though the use of slavery.

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De Crevecoeur wanting to develop a better life for him and his family, escaped British’s evil societies and moved to America, saying, “Must I then bid, farewell to Britain, to that renowned country…. She herself first inspired the most unhappy citizens” (SAAR p.12). Later visiting Charles- Town, he discovered he had moved to a more corrupted country, after witnessing unjust acts and evil deeds of slavery committed by the Europeans towards African Americans. Crevecoeur knew the Europeans greed for riches and power was the reason stating, “behold a people enjoying all that life affords most bewitching and pleasurable, without labor, With gold, dug from Peru-fatigue, hardly subjected to the trouble of wishing” (De Crevecoeur p.647). In his Letter IX he described the scenes of slavery and the cruel acts of the Europeans towards the slaves, as they went insensible of their actions and pain they was causing the slaves, stating, “their ears by habit are become deaf, their hearts are hardened; they neither see, hear, nor feel for the woes of their poor slaves” (De Crevecoeur p.647). De Crevecoeur strongly called for emancipation after witnessing the evil, unrighteous and unjust acts of the European slave owners. Abolitionists and Feminist, Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass, was African Americans who endured and escaped the evil, unrighteous, and unjust acts of slavery from the hands of European slave owners.

Both Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass focused on the essences of anti-slavery and women’s rights but concentrated more on their individual debates. Sojourner debated focused more on the essences for black and white women’s rights and Douglass debated focused more on the essences on Europeans false claims. Sojourner Truth’s gave speech “Ain’t I a Women” debated the claims women was not equal to men by saying, “I have as much muscle as a man” (Truth p.787). With saying this, Sojourner debated the claims that regarded women as weak and dependable on men, when she voiced her experience as a black woman who endured the unjust acts of slavery and countered the times, she had done equal or further more work than a man. Revealing, she had been called by God, she questioned Earthly men actions by comparing them to Jesus’s actions, saying, “When Lazarus died, Mary and Martha came to him with faith and love and besought him to raise their brother. And Jesus wept- and Lazarus came forth” (Truth p.787). By giving this example from the Bible, Truth argued if women can cry out to Jesus and he answers, why can’t Earthly men do the same? Therefore, Jesus saw no difference between in man or woman. Sojourner Truth acknowledged the efforts of men that helped fight for the rights of women, one of these men was abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Although Frederick Douglass was a feminist, his debates however focused more on the false claims of the Europeans. The European slave owners claimed that African Americans was not of humanity. Douglass stated in his speech “What to the slave Is The Fourth of July?”, “Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man?” (Douglass p.1237). Douglass questioned how slaves could be punished for crimes, when slave owners claimed they were not human and debated if slaves considered unhuman, can be punished for crimes unknowingly then “the slave is a moral, intellectual, and responsible being” (F. Douglass p.1238). Douglass summed up the denial of the Europeans by saying, “the whole argument in defense of slavery, becomes utterly worthless the moment the African is proved to be equally a man with Anglo-Saxon” (F. Douglass p.1293). He established the Europeans slaver owner’s denial and refusal to believe that African Americans was equal, as their excuse and argument for it to continue. He continued debating false claims of the Europeans until the truth was profiled, stating in the eBook, “The Mind of Frederick Douglass”, “all the space between man’s mind and God’s mind is crowded with truth that awaits to be discovered and organized into law, for the government and happiness of the of mankind” (Waldo E p.170). Frederick Douglass put the denial of the Europeans to rest, when his debate helped for the emancipation of slavery.

Although Des Las Casas, De Crevecoeur, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass had individually experienced the evil, unrighteous, and unjust acts of slavery form the hands of Europeans, they all achieved in having slavery abolished. When De Las Casas came to realize the Europeans (Christians) motives was to gain dominance over the Indians and their land, he passionately fought for their rights and successfully put in place laws for their rights. After De Crevecoeur moved to America and witnessed the Europeans evil slavery in Charles-Town he had called for emancipations. Sojourner Truth being an African woman spoke for equality for black and white amongst men who thought differently became one of the greatest influencers for women’s rights. Frederick Douglass debated the argument of the Europeans slave owners who denied and refused to believe that African Americans were equal and of humanity, but ended the debate when stating the argument of slavery itself is worthless when African Americans are proven as equal with the Anglo-Saxon.

Cites

1. Casas, Des Las. From the Account, Much Abbreviated, of the Destruction of the Indies. Ed. Juile Reidhead. Ninth. Vol. A. New York: W. W. Norton & Comany, Inc, 2017. 23 April 2019.
2. Douglass, Frederick. 'What to the Slave Is The Fourth of July?'. Ninth. Vol. B. Rochester: The Norton Anthology American Literature, 1856. 19 April 2019.
3. Douglass, Frederick. 'From The Claims of the Negro, Ethologically Considered.' Ninth. Vol. B. The Norton Anthology American Literature, 1820-1865. 1291-1293. 20 April 2019.
4. Martin, Waldo E. The Mind of Frederick Douglass. The University of North Carolina Press, 1984. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=104001&site=eds-live
5. Orique, David Thomas. “A Comparison of the Voices of the Spanish Bartolomé De Las Casas and the Portuguese Fernando Oliveira on Just War and Slavery.” E-Journal of Portuguese History, vol. 12, no. 1, June 2014, pp. 87–118. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=30h&AN=96908928&site=eds-live.
6. Saar, Doreen Alvarez. Early American Literature, vol. 22, no. 2, Sept. 1987, p. 192. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=5412113&site=eds-live.
7. Truth, Sojourner. 'Speech to the Women's Right Convention in Akron, Ohio, 1851. Ed. Julia Reidhead. Ninth. Vol. B. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2017. 23 April 2019.